The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1887-12-27
MARRIAGES.
Symbolical Traces of the Early We'd
lock by Force Stlll Extant.
From ekvoo Marazine.

Symbolical Traces Of the Early We'd
lock by Force Still Extant.
: From Btaekwood's Magazine.
A Chinese groom always sends a COM
pany Of men for his bride, and very COM
monty at night, as though to make his as
sault easier and a rescue more difficult, MS
used to be the case in Sweden, where mar
riages were commonly celebrated at night
fand under the protection OF armed mon.
But at the foundation Of the Chinese mar
fiage code Is the law which forbids Il man
70 marry a bride Of the same surname as
himself. As each urname is supposed to
represent a clan, this law of exogamy
points backward to q time when even the
ceremonial Chinaman captured his bride
Rom q foreign tribe. as possibly the exist
ence ot a female infanticidc may be q
reflection of a time when the Chinese
found their daughters objects Of attack
and their sons sources of strength. IL
is d suggestive fact also, that the
symbol representing the word Sing-a
"tribc, elan or surname'-is composed
Of two parts, which mean ''born Of a
woman" This plainly has reference to a
time before the institution of marriage,
when, on account OF promiscuity of inter
course, or of the custom Of polyandry,
Enship was reckoned through the females,
and not through the males. Another
feature among the Chinese, which may
possibly point TO q polyandrous origin, Is
the fact that, as among the Tarnul and
Telugu people OF Southern India, paternal
uncIcs are usually called fathers, the eldest
being Pohfu or Tafu- eldest father" or
great father" and the younger Shuhfu,
or younger father" But a still further
piece Of evidence is furnished by the cir
cumstance that cousins are called Tang
hiung-ti, or ''home brothers." showing
that the sons OF brothers were at one time
reckoned as brothers 10 each other.
As, however, orthodox Chinese history
begins at a period when the rites Of mar
riage were in full force, IL is only by these
faint echoes of a still earlier period that We
can trace back the ~ritualistic Chinaman 10
the level of less civilized races. But even
in Chinese history We find references to
ancient Sagcs whose mothers names only
were recognized, their fathers being I'M
known even TO tradition. In this diff
Guilty the analists have had resort TO the
deus ex machina, commonly produced TO
explain any fact untelligble to them, and
tell Us that tothe miracle must be ascribed
the event which has dropped out OF histo-
ry. Thus Fuh-hc (B. &. 2Sj2-2737l, the
legendary founderOf Chinese civilization,
is said TO have been conceived in consc.
quoncc OF his mother trcading in the foot
step Of a god when wandcringo on an island
in n western river. But il was by this
falhcrless Fuh-he that the marriage rite
was, according "a tradition, irstinstitu,cd;
and the light in which il was ancicntly re-
parded may be gathered from the symbols
which ut an early day was adopted to cx-
press the words signiiying "to marry as
applied respectively TO the marriage ofthe
man and OF the woman. The man il said
90 Ts'u his bride-that is 10 say, in accord
ance with the gloss put on the expression
by the symbol, ito seizo on the woman
while the lady Is said 30 kia, or woman
4 The household" OF her husband.